"Cab Over" trucks, which are well known in the art, include a cab at the front of the vehicle from which the driver operates the vehicle. Typically, a fuel tank is positioned beneath and to the rear of the cab. The fuel tank of such a truck typically includes a pair of steps mounted on the rear portion of the tank, thereby facilitating access to the area behind the cab. At the front portion of the fuel tank, one typically finds a step leading to the cab of the truck. The aforementioned steps and fuel tank create considerable airflow disturbances. As a result, fuel economy is diminished.
The aerodynamic deficiencies of this area can be reduced by utilizing a cab skirt fairing panel. The problem with such an approach is that the fairing panel must extend along the length of the truck, this requires support structures along that length. As such, the support structures are attached to different regions of the vehicle and are thereby exposed to different forces in response to the truck's movement.
There are numerous examples of destructive forces acting on a fairing panel. One example is the situation wherein the front wheel of the truck hits a bump in the road. In this case, the frame at the front of the truck twists more than the frame at the rear of the truck. Since the fairing panel is attached at both regions, it is exposed to counteractive forces which tend to damage the fairing panel. Another type of force levied upon a fairing panel would be the resultant force when a person effectively steps on the panel to reach either the cab or the engine area.
In these instances, and others, damage to the fairing panel and its neighboring areas results. The damage may appear in a variety of forms: disengaged fairing panel mountings, a fractured fairing panel, or a disjointed step as a consequence of impact with the fairing panel.
Another problem associated with providing cab skirt fairing panels for trucks relates to the additional hardware associated with such an assembly. For instance, a single truck style includes options for a number of different sized fuel tanks. Thus, one is compelled to stock a variety of sizes in fairing panels. In the alternative, one can stock one size fairing panel and an array of hardware for mounting the step arrangement at a precise position to accommodate the single size fairing panel. Either option entails expensive maintenance of inventory.